


Hawaiian Getaway

by Pendragoon



Category: Nemesis - April Daniels
Genre: F/F, Post Sovereign (Nemesis), Robo Mom, Team as Family, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25022287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pendragoon/pseuds/Pendragoon
Summary: Danny and Sarah continue where they left off at the end of Sovereign, enjoying a Hawaiian Getaway.
Relationships: Sarah | Calamity/Danielle "Danny" Tozer | Dreadnaught
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's a crime this series doesn't have more fanfic, it sure as hell deserves it!

I flipped us onto my back and held Sarah tight. Even as I reached out into the Lattice and began to slow our reentry I felt unbelievably hot. More so than I had during my fight with Red Steel when we crashed back to earth. Sarah squeezed my hand, and it set me ablaze. The quiet of space gave way to the rushing roar of the wind. Sharing this moment with her, dropping back to Earth in a plume of flame… I just wish I could see her face right now. 

Even with my foot on the metaphorical brakes we topped Mach 5. I’d had Mom plot our reentry over open waters near Hawaii. When I first brought the idea to her she seemed uncomfortable with her sixteen year old daughter taking her girlfriend on an exotic trip across the planet and so far from her watchful eye. 

Then she actually thought about it and realized that if we wanted to do something, there wasn’t much she could do to stop it. Embarrassing as it was, she then gave me a form of ‘the talk’, something I never thought I would get from a parent. 

She even booked us a room for an overnight stay, since we would be landing close to dark. It was under Sarah’s name since her real name wasn’t world famous like mine. God, I would have loved to read the headlines though. Cecelia probably wouldn’t however, and she’s got enough on her plate as it is. 

My suit squeezed, indicating we had crossed the ten thousand foot mark and I pulled us below the sound barrier. I relaxed my grip a bit and rolled over so she could see the ocean below and the rapidly approaching Islands of Hawaii. 

“How are you holding up?” I asked. 

“Holy fucking shit.” Sarah said breathlessly. 

I grinned and tore us back past the sound barrier. Calamity shone through in the yell that followed. 

We circled around Mauna Loa, the once largest volcano in the Island chain. The Kaiju Crisis of ‘85 saw the volcano destroyed, and the Island had never been the same since. Seeing it up close like this was chilling. One of my predecessors had been killed by the beast that emerged from this mountain. I swallowed at the reminder of my own mortality and took us northwest. 

Mom had booked us a room at a resort on the beach in Kakui on the island of Maui. I’d tried to protest, saying it was overkill but she insisted. She told me I should just relax for a couple of days since therapy had been going so well. I didn’t deserve her, much like I didn’t deserve the beautiful girl in my arms currently running her fingers through the waves just below us. Her laugh was music in my ear. 

“We’re getting close, I’m gonna pull us up and find a quiet spot to drop down.” I said. Sarah gave me a thumbs up. 

There were plenty of places for us to set down. Somehow I’d expected New Port levels of crowding, but this almost felt like a small town. I pulled her up into my arms and faced the setting sun, we were still a thousand feet up and I was back in my throwaway colors, it should be safe to have a moment. 

We set down in a cluster of trees near the beach, the sun hung low and painted the sky red. I hovered back in the air when she took her helmet off and shook her hair free. My breath hitched at her beauty. She looked around once she realized I wasn’t next to her before she finally looked back up. I smiled and floated down, then I kissed her. 

“You sure know how to show a girl a good time.” Calamity said under her breath as our lips parted. 

“Plenty more where that came from.” I said with a grin. 

Sarah had gone and checked in at our room since she had normal clothes on under her suit, and brought back the briefcase that had been waiting for us. It contained a change of clothes for me and room to store both our suits. 

“Doc sure thought of everything.” Sarah said, her back to me as I changed. “How did she even get this here in less than two hours?” 

“Mom probably knows someone on the Island.” I said as I slipped on a tank top and some shorts.

“I know you messaged her about this on the way here, she say anything else?” 

I snorted. “Yeah, she even gave me ‘the talk’ before this trip.” 

“Come again?” Calamity asked, I could feel her blush through the Lattice. 

“Yep, full on birds and bees, or at least a lesbian equivilant.” I said suppressing a chuckle. 

She stood there silent for some time, enough for me to finish changing. I tapped her shoulder and made her jump. Her face was flushed, her eyes dilated. She was adorable and I kissed her. 

The room was far nicer than I had expected, spacious living room, a full kitchen and a massive picture window looking out to sea. We also noticed there was only one bed. 

“Subtle Mom, real subtle.” I muttered as Sarah and I put two and two together. 

“Probably shouldn’t tell her what we got up to after the press conference then.” Sarah said with a grin. 

I pulled her close and kissed her passionately. “You would kiss and tell. To my own Mother?” I whispered. 

“You trying to kill the mood Partner?” Calamity asked. 

“Maybe.” I admitted. “We go too much further and I don’t see us going anywhere until tomorrow.” I said breathlessly. 

Sarah sighed and pulled away from me. We stowed the briefcase in the closet and went for a walk through town. It was small and unassuming for something on the ocean in one of the world’s hottest vacation spots. Sarah offered me her arm with a tip of her non-existent hat and I happily took it. 

I’d had Mom dye my hair to something darker to help with our cover, even this far from New Port I was a celebrity. Everyone knew who Dreadnought was, even if she was on a break. It was nice to walk the streets for once, and without being instantly recognized. There was a reason I flew everywhere back home. 

We passed a movie theater and I remembered a request Sarah had made, one I hadn’t been able to indulge just yet… I anchored myself in the Lattice, her arm hooked and pulled her back into me, so I snuck another kiss. 

“Okay you brat.” Sarah said with a chuckle. “I know you didn’t stop me like that just for a kiss.” 

“It was a valid reason.” I protested firmly. “Underestimate me at your own peril.” 

“Oh ha ha.” She said with a roll of her eyes. 

“I did have an idea though.” I gestured at the theater. “How about a cheesy romcom?” 

Sarah stared for a moment. “You actually remembered.” I thought I saw a tear in her eye, but I must have been mistaken. 

I held her close and led her in, one of the older workers gave us a funny look but I ignored them, I wasn’t letting anyone ruin this day. Two comically large tubs of popcorn and soda later and we were seated. 

She tossed some popcorn up and made to catch it in her mouth. A quick tug through the Lattice brought it to my mouth instead. She smacked my arm while I snickered. 

The movie was terrible. Positively dreadful. And we loved it. We snuck kisses during the slow scenes and got a little handsy when the ‘action’ heated up. Thankfully the theater wasn’t too crowded and we had the back row to ourselves. Watching for employees through the Lattice was a necessity at times… 

We almost dozed off together towards the end, her head on my shoulder while I leaned back into her, our hands locked on her leg. I was sad when the movie ended, because it meant that this moment was over. 

It was well past dark now. We had wandered the streets a bit when a rumble of someone’s stomach that I wouldn’t dare name *coughSarahcough* led us to find some food. When I asked her what she wanted, I was surprised that the answer was as simple as pizza. 

The place we decided on offered outdoor dining and we jumped on it. The shore wasn’t far and you could hear the crashing waves. She insisted on ordering and I let her, I’d learned to trust her taste in food. 

While looking over the menu I was watching Sarah through the Lattice, then with my eyes. I was really curious when she visibly flinched. 

“I thought it was just a joke…” Sarah said, her brow furrowed. 

I couldn’t help but smile at how adorable she was. “And what might that be?” 

She spun the menu around and pointed at a particular selection. 

“Spam and Pineapple?” I looked up. “Sounds terrible.” 

“Dreadful.” Sarah said with a mischievous sparkle in her eye. “Let’s try it!” 

“Hell yeah!” I agreed. It was truly awful, and we ate every bite.

By the end of the meal we had scooted our chairs close and lost each other in small talk. A waitress swung by and topped our drinks off, I thanked her absently. A few moments later I realized they weren’t leaving, Sarah and I shared a panicked look before we turned slowly to see if they had recognized me. 

My heart sank. 

“Danny?” Janet, my Mother asked. 

Of all the places the Feds could have sent her, they picked here. Shit, that meant that HE was in this town too. I needed to leave, I had frozen up and the thought still felt absurd to me. I had faced down Utopia, Malice reborn. Red Steel had been crushed under my boot. Sovereign broken by my hand. Janet had managed to subdue me with one word. 

All I wanted was to grab Sarah and jump back to orbit, to get far away. Sarah took my hand and brought me back to the moment. That helped me force my fears down. I was up and walking away and she followed without a word. 

“Danny, please wait!” I heard her shout behind me, her footsteps clear in the Lattice. “I left Roger.” 

Once again I froze. This time was different however, this time I didn’t yell, this time I did look back. Her face was as I remembered from the last hearing, if a bit lighter. She seemed apprehensive as the tears rolled down her face. 

“I should have done more for you… I should have stood up to him. But I was afraid. I won’t ask for forgiveness, I don’t deserve it.” Janet said through the tears. “I just need to know. Are you happy?” 

My heart sputtered like it had been swatted across the city and through half the buildings. Sarah’s hand tightened around my own and I met her gaze. Those warm chocolate eyes were something I could get lost in a thousand times and never tire of. She smiled and so did I. 

“Yeah. I am.” I turned to leave, hand in hand with Sarah. 

“I’m glad.” Janet said. “Goodbye, Danielle.” 

I kept walking, my face looking up to the night sky. It must have been raining, because Dreadnought doesn’t cry.


	2. Vacation - Day Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The vacation continues!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ideas kept coming, so here they are!

“Danny… Danielle, wake up!” 

I awoke in midair. Sarah was poking me in the ribs with a wooden spoon. 

“Good Morning sleepy-head!” Sarah said. 

She was wearing a sports bra with athletic shorts, her hair was slightly matted with sweat. She must have woke up pretty early to get a workout in… I smelled bacon. 

“Breakfast is ready.” She said, smiling. 

I stretched wide and floated over to the kitchen. Last night had been such a whirlwind and now I was waking up to a home cooked breakfast. Damn life was good. Like, shit. I can actually say that now. 

The meal was simple enough with bacon, eggs, rice and some orange juice to drink. Even almost a year later I was still cautious of the stuff ever since Mom gave me that hypertech shit juice in her lab… 

After the meal I knocked out the dishes while Sarah prepped the living room for another morning routine I had insisted on. She moved the furniture until we had a large clearing. Then tested the floor to make sure it wouldn’t break. I’d insisted Sarah drill me on hand to hand combat at my baseline, which was pretty close to her super soldier abilities. I had felt completely helpless when she rescued me, and I never wanted to feel that way again should some other villain manage to somehow null my powers again. 

She kicked my ass. Over. And over. And over her shoulder I went again. She never held anything back and I didn’t want her to. She was forging me into a better warrior, even as she dislocated my shoulder on the way to the ground in a painful pin. Flexible as a gymnast, my ass. 

She helped me resocket my shoulder and left me silently cursing. I could have sworn I heard her say something about payback being a bitch and I thought back to her smirk during our takeoff yesterday. Yeah, I’d earned this. Plus side, she hasn’t tossed a flashbang back into the room, progress! 

After having my ass handed to me so thoroughly for the past hour, I was quite thankful for the serenity of the beach. There was a nice, flat rock just at the tide level where the water gently washed over it without being overbearing. We laid there together and enjoyed the peace of it all. 

“What’s it like?” Sarah asked.

I opened an eye but found hers still closed. “What’s what like?” I replied. 

“To wear the mantle, to be Dreadnought.” She elaborated. 

My mind jumped to my fight with Red Steel up in orbit. How I had never felt more alive than I had when we were slugging it out at thirty thousand miles per hour. The thrill of a life or death struggle. I grimaced thinking how that primal joy might scare her. 

“And no bullshit Danny. I saw how you were smiling while fighting the rich boy.” 

“Busted.” I said with a wince. “I have power, a lot of it… And I enjoy using it. Remember Crenshaw? I jumped halfway across the planet in minutes just for a fight. I could have ended him at any point but where was the fun in that? He had ruined the convention for me and I wanted him to suffer. I enjoyed making him suffer.” 

“You went from being bullied to being a bully.” Sarah said evenly. 

Ouch, that stung. I knew it was completely true though. “Three months ago, I would have disagreed. Loudly and would have probably broken something, or someone over it before shooting off at supersonic speeds.” 

Sarah gripped my hand tight. “That you can recognize and admit that shows how much better you are doing.” 

I took a deep breath and leaned into her for some time. “Plummeting back to Earth at Mach 25 in a ball of fire knowing the fight ahead of you may be your last… There’s nothing I can compare that to.” 

“Not even last night?” Sarah asked without missing a beat.

“Now that’s playing dirty.” I protested. 

“Must be the greycape in me.” She shrugged. “But seriously Danny, it’s okay for you to talk to us about this stuff. Be open and honest with us, you aren’t alone anymore.” 

I rolled over and pulled her into a hug. I didn’t deserve her, or any of my friends really. And they truly were my friends. But I think I’m ready to start letting them in a bit, to trust them with who I really am. We stayed there holding each other until a very inconsiderate wave forced me to pull us up into the air. We laughed convulsively for several moments, then she kissed me.

After a disappointingly quick shower we were back in street clothes and exploring the town again. I’d offered to suit back up and take her for a flight, or an underwater excursion, but she insisted our stay remain baseline. This time we opted to go the opposite way and see what was in store for us. Sarah said she had looked around the area on her phone but wouldn’t elaborate. She led me along with a clear destination in mind and I followed, it was only fair after last night. 

She stopped at this small shack selling Malasada. I had never tried it before and I shit you not, it was good enough to justify the orbital jump on its own. We had gotten different flavors, mostly so we had the excuse to steal bites from each other. After a while we came up on a massive family fun center, completely outdoors and just screamed come on in. 

“This is the place.” Sarah said with a smirk. “Ever tried minigolf?” 

The course was built around a massive fountain, with water hazards and falls spread throughout. Losing your ball to the flowing waters was a very real risk. 

“This doesn’t look too beginner friendly.” I lamented. 

“Shush, you’ll do fine.” Calamity said as she tapped her ball with the club, landing the shot with a practiced ease. “Nothin to it.” 

I set the ball down on the practice green, three holes were about ten feet away in the boxed off field. I took a deep breath and felt out the ball within the lattice, getting a feel for its composition and center of balance. I let my breath out and swung carefully. The ball shot off like it had been slapped by an angry god, I’m not sure if I jumped more or the other couple that was watching us while they waited their turn. 

“I barely touched it.” I squeeked. 

“This is why I brought you.” She said with a cheeky grin. “When I struggled to control myself Mom brought me to a local place, told me it would help me learn control.” 

“Your Mom… The supervillain… Took you mini golfing.” 

“Oh don’t give me that look.” Sarah said as she batted my shoulder. “Now try again, focus on control.” 

It took the better part of an hour, but I wasn’t threatening to send the ball into orbit anymore, and could actually sink the shots now, progress! Satisfied I had enough of a handle on it we moved on to the actual course. The first hole was simple, a straight shot with a very mild curve and a wide tunnel. Sarah went first, and with a practiced ease, got a hole in one. She twirled her club and rested it on her shoulder, then took a bow. 

“Show off.” I said with a roll of my eyes. I set my ball behind the starting line and visualized the shot, the force needed, the angle. I felt the lattice expand over the course and focused it on the task ahead. Every bump and twist was visible to me. I eased into the shot and let the ball be pushed along. The momentum was clear to me, and it was going to overshoot just a touch to the left. I gently coaxed it back on course… my head jerked from the slap Sarah had delivered upside my head. 

“No cheating with your powers.” She scolded me. My head stung, she had put some force into the blow. I quickly tried to locate my ball and found it rolling back to my feet. Sarah laughed. “You lost control when I smacked you, the ball actually shot backwards.” 

I gave her a hurt glare but took the shot anyway, without my powers. It took three tries to sink the first hole. We continued on, exchanging barbs and enjoying ourselves through the massive 36 hole course. Finally we arrived at the final hole, an intimidating spectacle of moving parts with multiple points where your ball would just be lost, and at the end, there were three prize slots situated on a platform that if you missed, your ball would be gone. We had one attempt to make it and I knew I would miss. 

“No cheating Danny. It wouldn’t be fair to the owners.” Sarah reminded me. 

I decided it would be better to just take a stab at it rather than try to land the shot. Punching blindly had worked out for me before when I didn’t know what to do next. My ball shot along, bouncing through the twists, past the obstacles and made it onto the narrow stretch to the grand prize, then it swerved slightly and fell off into the abyss.

“Well shit.” Calamity said. “It’s crooked. That’s just playin dirty. Danny, I take that back, give me a hand if I make it there.” 

I nodded and moved along the course as close as I could. Precision movements like that worked best up close and I didn’t want it to be obvious. Sarah took her shot and made it onto the path. I felt the ball out in the Lattice and traced the upcoming path, and there I found it, a small tilt meant to throw the ball off. When it passed over all I did was keep it on course. The ball traveled along the increasingly narrow path until it hit the ramp, went airborne and landed in the small pipe at the end. 

Alarms sounded and lights flashed. For a moment I thought they had detected my use of the Lattice, but no, it was just for those who won a prize. I let out a sigh of relief when the attendant congratulated Sarah on her shot. She ran over and gave me a giant hug. 

“All you did was keep it on the path?” She asked in a whisper. 

“Yeah, there was only the one dip, I let it go once it was safely across.” I replied in the same hushed tone. 

“Come on then, let’s see what we won!” She said with the most adorable grin as she pulled me along. 

It was the biggest teddy bear I had ever seen, almost as big as me. It was a light grey with a darker grey stomach and face. It seemed to have microfiber fur, god I wanted to cuddle it. Sarah could barely hold it all as the attendant passed it over the counter. Then she handed it to me. 

I cried. No two ways around it, I cried and hugged this amazing girl. Then I kissed her, even with the bear between us. After a few moments I collected myself and leaned into her. Then my stomach ruined it by growling. 

We ate lunch at their food court, my new friend whom I had named Fluffles had a seat of their own at the table. Even with the finest dining the world had to offer at my fingertips, sometimes you just wanted a greasy bacon cheeseburger and fries. My ideal body had yet to betray me on that front at least. 

After eating we checked out their arcade. Sarah immediately gravitated towards one of those co-op VR shooters and insisted we give it a shot. I chided her on the pun but agreed. Sometimes it was easy to forget how much of a monster she was with a gun in her hand. This game gave me no such opportunity. Even with my superhuman reflexes I was no match for her. We finished the game without losing a life. It was impressive, but even more so was that her score was almost ten times higher than mine. It gave me a chill when I considered what she could do if she ever took Mom up on the offer for a hypertech arsenal. 

From there we tried our hand at bowling and discovered we were both equally inept at this game. Sarah got to the point she was low pitching the fifteen pound ball just over the floor rather than try to roll it accurately. Once she had conceded to this, I started experimenting in the lattice with my ball’s momentum. After hurling space debris, this was nothing. Finally, I had a win to my name today. 

The sun was setting and we decided to call it a day. I wanted to get Fluffles back to the room before we went anywhere else. I’d have to find some way to get this back home, maybe Mom could pick us up in the jet… 

“That’s an impressive bear.” Someone said as we passed them. They grabbed my arm and pressed a knife against my stomach. “Hand over your phones and money and this won’t have to get ugly.” 

“Sarah, are we getting robbed?” I asked, not quite believing that something as mundane as a mugging would ever happen to me again. 

“I think so, want me to hold Fluffles?” She offered. Her hand was reaching for a gun I didn’t think she had on her, but you could never be sure when it came to Calamity. 

I passed the bear to her slowly, then snatched the knife away with inhuman speed, crumpling the blade in my fist. I had him be the shirt collar before he even realized it. 

“Do you have any IDEA how hard it is to just relax for me?” I growled at the older man, his eyes were awash with fear. “I live in constant fear of attack and this vacation was supposed to be my escape from that. Then you had to go and ruin it.” I punched him in the stomach just hard enough to take the wind out of him. “I can’t even go to the cops about this without ruining it.” I drew back to punch him again, my anger was swelling. 

I took a breath. Long, slow, deep. Then I let it out. I repeated it again, then again and the anger passed. I let the man crumple to the ground and stepped back from him. I felt surprisingly good. The old me would have beat him senseless, broken a bunch of bones and maybe even crippled him permanently for that. But I was better now, I still had work to do, but I was getting better. 

I turned back to Sarah with a smile, which quickly left my face, a police car had stopped and the officer was approaching. Shit, there goes our vacation. 

I rolled my eyes. “Like I said officer, he tried to mug us. I defended myself, do you really need all our personal information for that?” Cops were always a pain in the ass when it came to the paperwork side of things. Sarah had kept her face buried in Fluffles as much as possible during the questioning, since her identity wasn’t public. She avoided speaking unless directly spoken to. 

The officer sighed and set his coffee aside. “I’m just saying, this would go so much smoother if you would just give me your names. We also need to contact your parents about this.” 

“I’m emancipated.” I answered. Technically Doc Impossible wasn’t my Mother legally, and had minimal legal rights over me aside from power of attorney and being in charge of my trust. Even then Cecilia had to approve of things if I wasn’t present. 

The officer raised an eyebrow. “And your friend?” 

“Her parents are stateside.” I answered. 

“And you’re both under age?” 

“Correct.” 

His groan was audible. “Look kid, I need something to go on here, even if it was self defense you still assaulted someone. I want to help but you need to work with me.” 

I sighed, so much for a relaxing vacation. “We’re both capes.” I said to his scepticism. “My identity is public. Hers isn’t and I’d like to keep it that way.” 

“I thought you had to be over eighteen to legally be made a cape.” He said. It wasn’t a question. 

“If I tell you who I am, will you agree to not pry into who she is?” I asked, trying to keep the weariness from my voice. 

“Kid, even if you were Dreadnought herself I don’t think I could swing that.” 

Sarah snorted through Fluffles. “May as well tell him that part Danny.” 

I took a breath then floated up out of the chair, removing my phone from my back pocket. The officer nearly fell out of his chair when I did, guess flight isn’t that common around here. I pulled my phone out, found my Federal Caping License in one of the pockets and handed it to him. 

He stared at it, then back to me several times before he spoke. “No bullshit?” 

“I could pick up your desk if it helps convince you.” I said while still floating in the air. Thankfully this station was small and we were in a private room. Doing this in the New Port precinct would have been a circus even if I was a regular there before the whole Garrison and Greywytch bullshit. 

“Why are you here?” He finally asked. 

“All we wanted was a quiet vacation away from it all. That asshole ruined it, now the world’s going to know I’m in Hawaii with my girlfriend and her identity may get revealed as a result. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” 

“I… You know what, I don’t, not really, but I get your point.” The officer said. “I’ll put your name on the report, and just leave her off it. That may cause some problems if you decide to press charges against him though.” 

“Doesn’t seem worth it.” I said with a shrug. “Just let him out after a short hold, tell him he tried to mug a cape and leave it at that.” 

“I think I can manage that.” The officer said. “I may need some autographs and pictures with the higher ups to swing it though.” 

Cecelia would kill me for accepting this kind of deal but I just wanted this ordeal to be over with. “I’ll have to clear it with my publicist first, but I should be able to manage an appearance.” 

His face lit up. I’d probably just made his year with that offer. We shook on it and were out the door in ten minutes. 

“I think I’ve had enough of Hawaii.” I said, the exhaustion clear in my voice. 

“Sorry I had to leave it to you.” Sarah said, passing Fluffles back to me. 

I sighed. “It’s not your fault. Believe me when I say it’s a pain for the world to know who you are. I want to protect you from that.” 

“Thank you.” She whispered as she leaned in and planted a kiss on my cheek. “That means a lot to me.” 

We returned to the hotel. Fluffles got a spot at the end of the couch where we crashed, curled up together with Fluffles as our pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may do a day 3 to wrap it up, again, no promises.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The vacation is ending...

I awoke at sunrise, Sarah was wrapped in my arms, her head nuzzled against my chest. I let out a contented sigh, my arm was trapped under the beautiful girl and I wasn’t about to disturb her. My free hand brushed some of her hair aside and I kissed her forehead. I snuggled closer, content to drift back off to sleep when my phone began to ring. The ringtone told me I had to answer it, it was Mom. 

Sarah stirred and began to sit up, freeing my arm enough for me to grab the phone and answer it. 

“Hello?” I asked, still groggy from waking up. 

“Sorry to wake you kiddo, but you need to evac.” 

“Why?” I asked. 

“Turn on the news.” 

I reached over and grabbed the remote. What I saw lit a fire within me. There I was on a shaky cell video disarming the mugger. Thankfully the knife was visible but it still looked bad when I punched him the one time. The video cut to an interview with the mugger just outside the police station what couldn’t have been more than a few hours ago. 

“That bastard pulled a knife one me and now he’s the victim?” 

“That’s how the media’s runnin with it. I’ll be there in 45. Pack up.” 

I had a few choice things to say but another incoming call popped up on my screen. Cecilia.

“Gotta go Mom, got another call.” 

“Be safe Danielle, and Sarah, keep an eye on her.” Sarah grunted an affirmation half asleep. 

I clicked the call over and all I heard was a sigh from the other side. “Danny, why are you on the news during your break?” 

“He pulled a knife on us.” I said. “I didn’t know if he had any powers so I did the minimum to make sure it didn’t escalate.” 

“Danny, it looks bad on camera. I need to spin this and fast. Get back stateside so we can work on a press statement.” 

“Mom’s on her way to pick us up, we’ll be back in a few hours.” 

“And who is ‘we’?” 

“Hi Ms. Cecilia.” Sarah said. 

“Is that Sarah? Well that makes sense… Wait, Doc let you two go to Hawaii alone?” 

“Mom objected at first, but then she realized how silly it was to tell a former vigilante and someone who can hop into orbit where they could and couldn’t go.” 

“You should have told me at least.” Cecilia said. “I could have prepared some potential statements.” 

“Hold on.” I said as the news cut to a breaking story. “Um… I think I just got overshadowed.” I said. 

“What do you mean?” Cecelia asked. 

Sarah gasped beside me. “Holy shit, Red Steel’s fighting a Kaiju.” 

“What!?” Cecilia said in a panic, I could hear her shuffling for a live feed. “Huh, spot of luck kid. Where in Hawaii are you?” 

“About fifty miles from where the fight is going down.” I responded. “Mom, you listening in?” 

“Umm, maybe?” Doc Impossible said. “You want me to get Federal permission for you to help?” 

“Yeah, if it looks bad I’m not running from this.” I said, hopping off the couch and heading for the closet. “Not when lives are at stake.” 

“I’m picking up the pace then, be there in fifteen.” Doc said. “I’ll lend fire support if it comes to that.” 

“Danny, this thing is dragging a freaking blizzard along with it.” Sarah said, still glued to the broadcast. “Fuck, one of the capes just got frozen solid.” 

“Ice powers?” I asked, slipping into the body glove. 

“It’s a fucking dragon Danny, more like ice breath.” Sarah said. 

“Can’t be worse than the Exosphere at night.” I said, walking back into the living room. I stopped cold at the sight of the news broadcast. It was a dragon alright… About three hundred meters long, it snaked through the sky like the dragons of eastern myth. It’s scales were a pale silver with hints of blue, the pattern twisted along its body like a howling blizzard. “Fuck.” 

“I don’t know if I want you to go…” Sarah said. At that same moment the dragon whipped its tail and smacked Red Steel like a baseball, he shot off with a sonic boom from the impact. The news helicopter shook from the shockwave. 

“Where are the other capes that were helping him?” I asked. 

“All down.” Sarah said, she was now clutching Fluffles tight. “This thing is bigger than anything the Crisis of 85 spit out.” 

“Dreadnought.” Cecilia cut in. “I’m getting a call from the Feds, keep in touch.” 

“Will do.” I said and the call cut out. 

I could see the storm in the distance, the dragon was visible now. A chill ran through me at the sight of it. A blur then a spray of sand and rock a hundred feet high struck a quarter mile up the beach. The shockwave shattered the glass around me. I shot off at 700 miles per hour towards the impact. 

Red Steel was buried in a mess of rock and sand, only his leg was visible. I grabbed his ankle and pulled him up. He was out cold, so I slapped him. “Wake up Grandpa, now is not the time for a nap.” 

His eyes opened with a jolt, his fist came for my face. I braced, letting go of his leg and caught the punch. My feet cut into the rock from the impact, but I held. Thanks to Sarah’s lessons I was a lot better at hand to hand combat than I had been before. “Easy, big guy.” I said. 

“Dreadnought?” He asked and for a moment I forgot about my dyed hair and that my suit was still set to throwaways. “Why are you here?” 

“Came to Hawaii for a relaxing vacation.” I shrugged. “This wasn’t what I had in mind.” 

He laughed deeply and brushed himself off. I noticed a faint nosebleed before he casually wiped it away. “Sorry to spoil your fun.” 

“Looks like you brought the fun with you.” I said, thumbing over my shoulder at the massive dragon. “What do you say, wanna fuck it up?” 

He barked another laugh. “Of all the Dreadnoughts, I think I may like you the best.” He cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulder. “Yes, let us fuck it up.” 

I grinned something savage and turned to face the beast. It was no more than ten miles off the shore now. With a click of the blister my colors shifted back to the blue and white of Dreadnought. I dug deep into the lattice and shot forward, I could feel the absence that was Red Steel right on my heels. I stuck to the water’s surface and built up speed. 

We closed the distance in under twenty seconds, I channeled my momentum through the lattice and shot up, a mild twinge of pain in my joints and the gforce made my vision go green for a moment then my fist slammed into the jaw of this creature that had fangs larger than I was. 

The creature recoiled, then twin boots of Red Steel collided between its eyes. ‘Oh fuck yes’ I thought. THIS is something I’d fantasized about in the past, and the fangirl in me had dreamed of a team up like this. THE team up. I felt my battle joy come quicker than it usually did. Oh, this was gonna be fun! 

We tagged blows, darting back and forth with thunderous force. The Kaiju never had a chance to recover before the crack of a sonic boom signalled another strike. We had found a rhythm and were slowly grinding the dragon down. 

“Dreadnought, how ya holdin up?” Calamity asked. 

I kicked a tooth loose and spun back into a supersonic climb preparing for my next strike. “Going good so far. Doc made it yet?” I asked then powered into the dive just as Red Steel delivered a hammer blow to its snout. 

“I just picked Calamity up, we’ll be able to provide fire support in 30, you got Federal approval by the way.” 

“Awesome! Aim for its eyes!” I called out. My own blow smacked its snout lower and it crashed into the waters below. I glanced back at the shore and saw we were less than two miles away now. A twinge of panic rose within me. We needed to end this, or divert it away soon. 

A loud crack sounded below me, the ocean had frozen solid. Shit, I could tell it was cold, but this was ridiculous. 

“Doc, how cold would this thing need to be to freeze the ocean like this?” I shouted, scanning the sky for Red Steel. I spotted him and shot over with the crack of a sonic boom. “Red, we can’t let this thing reach shore!” 

The Ice cracked and shattered as the dragon rose back above the surface. He simply watched as it began to rise. “Agreed, do you have a plan? Dreadnought don’t have a good record against Kaiju.” 

“Don’t make me find another orbital telescope.” I snapped. 

“I have twin cannons now as well.” Doc said immediately after. “Try us.” 

Red barked out a laugh. “Definitely my favorite Dreadnought, try not to die before our next fight.” He shot off before I could give him another witty reply so I flipped him off. He impacted with the dragon and the rest of the ice shattered. 

“We need a plan, I don’t think we’ve caused any lasting damage so far.” I called out, eying the tilt engine in the distance. It was then I was swatted by an angry god down into the ice. 

My everything ached and burned. I could feel my earbud vibrate under the water, but the sound was muffled. I regained my hold on the lattice and shot back up with a geyser of frozen slush. The saltwater stung against my forehead. A blinding flash shot across the morning sky, twin bursts of violet light slammed into the blue kaiju, it shrieked in pain. 

“I’m up!” I said, circling around to build speed then I slammed hard into the steaming wound along it’s jaw. It’s flesh was surprisingly soft under the scales. 

“You ever heard the tale of Jonah?” Calamity asked.

“No.” I said immediately. 

“You see…” 

“I know the story, still no.” 

“Go up its butt, I’ll get you some pizza if you do.” Doc called out, barely hiding her laughter. 

“I am not a suppository.” I barked. Red slammed the dragon’s maw in an uppercut while I dropped a hammer blow on its nose. “Any other clever ideas?” 

“Can you find its vitals in the lattice?” Calamity asked. “Give us some tender spots to focus on.” 

“On it!” I said, shooting along the length of its body. I bring up my suit’s holo projector and start tagging locations that seem important, with a special target on what I assumed was its main heart, since I felt two other minor hearts along the way. 

Violet light slams against the dragon’s scales. “Red!” I shout. “Hit the spots we shoot!” 

An instant later a rusty blur slammed into the smoldering scales. They burst away revealing tender flesh. I didn’t hesitate, I crossed Mach 3 before impact and found myself buried in Dragon flesh. I reached into the Lattice and found I was close to the heart. I tried to push further in but wasn’t having much luck. Fuck it. I started to unravel the strings of its heart in the lattice. 

Pain shot through my joints, flaring in odd places. I felt a shudder run through the flesh around me but I kept working. 

“Whatever you are doing, keep it up.” Doc said in my ear. I felt further ripples from far away impacts as Red Steel hit new spots marked by Doc. I pulled one last string and the pattern unravelled, I felt a new stab of pain in me and my head spun. I pushed hard on the Lattice before it fully set in and shot out of the creature. My head was spinning and I couldn’t focus. My vision went black. 

My fall stopped with a thud, but not hard enough to have been against the ocean or ground. I forced my eyes open and found Sarah looking back at me. 

“Howdy Dreadnought, fancy meeting you here.” Calamity said from atop her hoverbike. It was part of the hypertech kit Mom had prepared for her but she had refused. Guess seeing me in a freefall from two miles up changed her mind on accepting it. 

A blood curdling roar ripped out from the dragon’s maw. It was in pain, a pain I had caused. I could see Red firing his Emerald eye lasers into another wound. The tide had turned, we could win this. 

“So, Jonah…” I said. “Got anything you want me to force feed it?” 

I could see a smile under the bandana and Calamity handed me a hypertech charge of some sort. I eyed it dubiously. “And what will this do to me if I can’t get out before it blows?” 

“Not much.” Calamity said. “It's loaded with hypertech sedative, and I mean LOADED.” 

“So, you want to knock it out?” I asked. 

“No, that should overdose it.” Doc said. “It’s meant to be a lethal payload.” 

I sighed in resignation and clipped the charge to my belt. My wits were back even if I had a migraine. The shore was near, no more stalling. I gave Calamity a kiss on her forehead and fell off her hoverbike. 

A moment later I was digging as deep into the Lattice as I could, Mach 3 came and went and I rammed my way through the kaiju’s teeth and down its throat. I closed my eyes and flew with the Lattice guiding my path. Entering the stomach was nauseating, even holding my breath the fumes burned my eyes. Acid bubbled around me, I pulled the device from my belt and armed it. 

“I see the device is armed.” Doc said. “Toss it and gtfo kiddo.” 

I pressed the last button and let it fall below me. I shot back along its throat but found the journey back considerably harder with the muscles moving against me. I had to duck around them far more often going out. 

A chime in my ear signalled the device had detonated. Within moments I slammed into the roof of its throat, we were in freefall. Try as I might, I couldn’t fly the rest of the way out. 

The kaiju slammed down hard. I bounced around the fleshy walls, which was far more disgusting than I ever imagined it would be. The muscles had gone lax, and my clean shot out was now gone, shit. 

I brought the holo display back up and painted my location as a new target. There was no air here, so no asking for assistance, I could only hope they got the message. Moments later a hard shudder went through the wall, then another. Another few moments later a glowing knife cut through the inner flesh and daylight rushed in. Red Steel held flesh open, and Calamity offered me a hand. I took it and she pulled me out. 

She pulled me into a hug and I could tell she wanted to kiss me, but thought better of it given I was covered in Dragon bile and blood. The present company didn’t help matters either. 

“Have your moment.” Red Steel said. “I am not one to use her against you when we fight again.” 

I smiled and held Calamity’s hand tight. We had a few moments till the media caught back up to us, and I was going to enjoy it. Mom set the tilt engine down nearby as the first helicopters began to move in. She was out of the jet and had Calamity’s hoverbike loaded with efficiency. Calamity fist bumped my shoulder and hurried over to give her a hand. 

“I hate this part of caping.” I lamented under my breath. “The media is always a pain in the ass, and I just know they are gonna ask if I’m back.” 

“Let me handle them.” Red Steel said suddenly. I looked at him with surprise. “You were here on Holiday and offered to help, that is all they need to know. Let them see you, then go, I will take care of the rest.” 

“Thank you.” I said with a slight blush. “I owe you one.” 

“Keep improving.” Red Steel said. “That is how you can repay me.” 

“I could use a sparring partner.” I tried. “Not many can handle fighting at our level in midair.” 

Red Steel laughed. “You are truly something else, Danielle. No other Dreadnought has made such a request of me.” 

“I’m not too proud to admit I have a lot of room to improve, our last fight demonstrated you are just better at this than I am. I can’t compete with over seventy years of experience.” 

“You still bested me.” Red Steel said, tone calm. 

“With help.” I countered. “Doc had to shoot you twice and I threw the fucking Hubble Telescope at you. Without that I would have lost.” 

“There is no shame in using all the tools at your disposal.” Red Steel said with a nod. 

“Which is why I’m asking you to teach me.” I said, looking at the helicopters as they began to land nearby. 

“I will consider it.” He said and offered his hand. “It was a joy to fight alongside you, Danielle. 

“Likewise Red…” I said and shook his hand for the cameras that were already rushing over to us. Then a thought occured, I pulled my phone out, floated up and took a quick selfie. Red raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on it. The reporters pushed to get close to us and I waved to the cameras, ignoring the shouted questions and hopped through the air to the tilt engine. The door snapped shut behind me and I fell into the bench seat next to Sarah. 

“Danny, you need a shower.” She said, her nose wrinkled. 

“Oh no, you don’t get to complain.” I teased and pulled her close, anchoring myself in the lattice as she struggled. “That was your plan so you have to suffer with me!” 

She laughed as I tried for a kiss, she feigned resistance but gave in after a moment. Our lips parted and our foreheads rested against each other. This vacation hadn’t gone as planned, but hey, when had anything in my life ever gone as planned? Maybe now was as good a time as any to try my luck. 

“Hey Sarah, wanna move into the Tower?” I asked with a touch of hesitation. She pulled back in surprise. “You would have your own suite. Mom already shot down the idea of us sharing a room.” 

“Damn right.” Doc said from the cockpit. “I wasn’t born yesterday. Ask me again in a few years.” She finished. 

“We settled on the suite across the hall from mine.” I said with a smile, trying to hide the growing fear within me that she might say no. 

“Sure Danny.” Sarah said, a tear in her eye. “I think I’d like that.” 

I couldn’t stop the tears of joy and pulled her into a passionate kiss after several moments we pulled back apart. “Now, how to convince a reformed supervillain to let her daughter move in with her girlfriend.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last chapter of this work, since the vacation is officially over, but I may do other works set in this continuity or others, I'm a huge fangirl of Dreadnought and will no doubt have more ideas to come.


End file.
